Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook celebrates winning the Big Ten title game on Saturday in Indianapolis. / Associated Press

Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

Hi, how are you? Back to Earth yet? Still wondering if youíre having an extended hallucination? Finding a few extra bucks for a little holiday trip? Putting off that elective surgery for another year? Most of the questions Iím getting right now from Michigan State fans are about Rose Bowl tickets and travel arrangements ó I canít really help you on this, other than to say Iíd be surprised if any of MSUís 24,000 allotment makes it past the donors and season-ticket holders. Also, donít forget toothpaste, I seem to make that mistake a couple times a year.

Letís start with the reader who has been asking me about the possibility of the Rose Bowl all year. Michelle, sorry I wasnít better at predicting this a couple months ago ó but at least I did say MSU would get to Pasadena before the Lions scored a win in Green Bay!

■ Well, it happened, in fine fashion. Rose Bowl-bound, and the team went as far as Connor Cook carried them. Congratulations to the entire team and staff. Joe, you have been such a huge resource and a true asset through this entire season. Thank you as well. Now my questions, can you give us perspective of your job for the past week? What was one of the greatest weeks in Spartan history like for a sportswriter? How much fun was it for you personally to be a part of it all? Can you give us any insight on what you will remember most about this week?

Michelle

Thanks for the kind words, Michelle, and Iíd love to talk about myself! My job from August to April is loads of fun and very busy, especially busy when MSU football and menís basketball are both in season. And when both are ranked in the top 10? Itís wild. But certainly, thereís motivation knowing the interest is higher and that the story at hand is something that will leave a lasting imprint. Looking back on last week, I believe that is the case ó though I donít necessarily think it will be another 26 years before MSU gets back to Pasadena.

Then again, who thought that would be the case at this time in 1987? You just never know.

So was it fun? Absolutely. Itís fun to cover a special team, itís fun to write things people want to read, itís fun to compete. It was a blast. And it will continue to be a blast, through this month, all the MSU-Stanford hype, the In-N-Out-Burger drive-thru and a New Yearís Day on the coast.

The thing Iíll remember most, other than the way the Spartans persevered and flipped a game that was slipping away, is the scene after the game. As I wrote the other day in this space, open locker rooms and college football are rare companions. Observing the Spartans celebrate the programís biggest victory in decades reinforced why they were in position to get it.

■ What are your thoughts on the warm reception Spartan fans gave Jim Delany at the trophy ceremony? Do you think he initially understood that was for him and not directed at Ohio State

Like it or not, there is a perception within our fan base that Delany favors the brands. I still have a very bad taste in my mouth over the 2010 bowl selections and the timing of the OSU scandal. For those five players to then get to play in that Sugar Bowl with Delany's blessing was an embarrassment for the entire conference. I will always believe the information was available prior to the end of November 2010, and the five players should have been suspended prior to bowl selections. The entire situation was handled so awkwardly, it just did not pass the eye or smell test. Both Arkansas and MSU deserved better.

Obviously, there are other incidents since 2010 that have not sat well with Spartans ó however, that gets more into the overall conspiracy theory realm (Will Gholstonís suspension, Nebraska penalties, Notre Dame crew, non-suspensions of Taylor Lewan and Marcus Hall).

John

Yeah, John, Iím sure Delany realized he was being booed, and he probably expected it. I assume every other fan base in the Big Ten considers him a Michigan-Ohio State backer, thought it seems MSU fans are especially angry with him lately. If Delany favors those two brands, itís because heís a businessman and they have the most fans and national pull. They are commodities and I believe he believes the Big Ten is better off when they are good. Many feel the same way. But I donít think that means heís deliberately obstructive when a program such as MSU, like Wisconsin 20 years ago, emerges.

Does the Sugar Bowl scenario of 2010 stink? Yes. I agree with you. Itís embarrassing for Delany and the Big Ten. But letís go through your list of MSU slights. Iím sorry but the Gholston/Lewan/Hall situations were all different. Gholston threw a punch and was not ejected. So he got suspended.

Lewan did not throw a punch, though his helmet twist on Isaiah Lewis certainly could be argued as worse than the jab Gholston got him with in 2011, after Lewan had Gholston down by the helmet. (Gholston had a helmet twist of his own, of course.) If itís strictly on whether a punch was thrown or not, it makes sense that Lewan was not suspended. If an accumulation of nastiness can be used to build a case, he probably should have been.

But does that mean Delany is out to get MSU? Did he make sure the Nebraska refs last year and Notre Dame refs this year made bad calls at the Spartansí expense? That doesnít even make sense in the latter case ó the Big Ten might have a team in the national title game without those calls. I get the frustration at times but I think some people get too wrapped up in the conspiracy stuff. And that reminds me, I need to ask my co-worker Drew Sharp what went wrong with Delanyís plan to bury the Spartans in pass-interference calls so the Buckeyes could play for it all.

■ I'm interested in knowing more about what Jim Bollman does. I think it's been clarified that Dave Warner calls the plays but Bollman is involved. How so? Also, what's your take on the offense from this year to last year? Do we just credit improved offensive line play?

Greg

Greg, Bollman is certainly involved in game-planning, and he has changed some things in the running game this season. He works with the tight ends and also helps offensive line coach Mark Staten with that group, and his influence can be seen there as well.

In short, Bollman Warner Overdrive is a hit. The offensive line is better, the receivers are better, Connor Cook and Jeremy Langford are two of the biggest individual surprises in the Big Ten. But Bollman deserves some credit for this offense coming together, which Iím sure bewilders many Ohio State fans. And it should make the Dan Roushar-blaming MSU fans realize that a single scapegoat is usually the simplistic, uninformed way to go. Strive for multiple scapegoats!

■ Great article on the locker room, Joe, I can share that my own feelings of elation Saturday as a Spartan alum and fan are magnified by the contrasting feeling from two years before.

I wonder if there was another factor in play. That is, am I alone in feeling an extra measure of satisfaction in seeing Urban Meyer lose? Has there ever been a poll of most disliked coaches?

Do you think the cheap shots against the Spartans in the first quarter were encouraged or even directed by the Ohio State coaching staff? I don't remember seeing a punt receiver nailed that early before the ball arrived. Hard to consider that a mistake.

Anyway, clearly the good guys won and earned the reward of a trip to the 100th Rose Bowl.

Doug in Battle Creek

Doug, I havenít seen a poll recently, but Meyer has been a disliked figure among opposing peers and fans for a while now, at least tracing back to his Florida days. Part of that is simply the fact that he wins so much. But he certainly rubs some people the wrong way. The off-the-field issues tracing back to Florida havenít helped his image ó though I think he deserves some credit for benching Hall for the whole game Saturday.

Do I think Meyer called for that cheap shot on the punt? No, I think that was a single, dumb football play. Do I think Meyer intentionally had OSUís game film cut last year before it was shared with MSU? Itís either that or his video people did it on their own. And that makes no sense at all. And for the record, I donít necessarily look at that in terms of competitive advantage. Think of it in terms of Hallís exit from Michigan Stadium a couple Saturdays ago. From one staff to another, some double-bird action.

In that light, Iím sure there was some extra satisfaction for Mark Dantonio and Co. in beating Meyer. They recruit against each other, theyíre going to be annual rivals in the East Division, and I think thereís some mutual dislike there. No Nike trip, band camp or anything else is likely to change that any time soon.

And now letís wrap it up with three questions from one person, Rich in Des Moines, Iowa. More accurately, three paragraphs with multiple questions in each. But theyíre good ones.

■ What are reasonable expectations going forward? Tom Izzo has talked a lot about the expectations of MSU basketball fans and the pressure that brings. What about football? Can MSU really be the best of the four big programs "locally" (U-M, OSU, Notre Dame, MSU)? Is it reasonable to expect Dantonio's program to win 10-plus games each season going forward, legitimately competing for the division/conference championship along the way?

Rich, I think itís reasonable to look at the 7-8 win mark as MSUís floor right now. The ceiling is pushing awfully close to a ceiling shared by just a few programs. The Spartans could finish as high as No. 2 this season, and I honestly believe this team in its current state could play with anyone out there. Does that mean it will be the case every year? Not necessarily, but I do think the 2012 setback was an anomaly.

If this season should tell you anything, itís that the ďMSU is destined to slide back to the middleĒ narrative is hollow. But the other three programs you mentioned have considerably more resources than MSU has, so itís hard to project MSU to be ďthe bestĒ over the long haul. I believe that as long as Dantonio is in place, the Spartans can hang right in there, and theyíll have other teams that compete for championships. Theyíll also probably mix in the occasional 7-5 snoozer. It happens to just about everyone.

■ In my view, Pat Narduzzi should only leave his current position for some place special; or at least some place that has a winning tradition where he has a decent chance to succeed. That means no "mid-major" schools, no AAC schools, no middle-of-the-pack or worse schools in big conferences like Cal, Arkansas, N.C. State, Iowa State and others of their ilk. My hope is that he will stick around and take over for Dantonio in about five years or so. I have no idea what Dantonio's timetable is. Do you get any sense of how long he wants to continue as head coach at MSU? And what do you think Narduzzi feels about that? If Narduzzi does leave, who are some coaches who might take over as defensive coordinator? If Texas backs up its Brinks truck for Narduzzi, none of us should hold that against him.

Iíd say your expectations are a bit high. Texas? For a guy who has never been a head coach? Turn down a Cal or an Arkansas? Nah. I agree that Narduzzi should be selective now, but if he can find a job with a reasonable chance to succeed, he can parlay that success into a bigger job. See: Dantonio at Cincinnati, then MSU. That Cincinnati job is a much better job now than when Dantonio took it in 2004. I donít know how long Dantonio wants to keep coaching, but I wouldnít be surprised if heís around more than five years. I suspect Narduzzi will be elsewhere by then, perhaps prepared to return and replace Dantonio. And if he does go, I expect Harlon Barnett and/or Mike Tressel to take over the MSU defense.

■ Mark Hollis has to be considered one of the top two or three athletic directors in the country. There is always lots of talk about raising the salaries of Mark Dantonio and the football staff (well-deserved raises). But what about Hollis himself? What is his salary in comparison to other ADs in the Big Ten and around the country? What are the chances that another big state school (or any school for that matter) pulls him away? Rutgers has to be looking to make a change and I am sure lots of other places would jump on the chance to grab up Hollis.

To complete your hat trick, Rich, Iíll agree with your first point and tell you that Hollis did receive a big bump in 2012 to $600,000 a year (plus a $100,000 retention bonus each year). Thatís a lot of money, though still just middle-of-the-pack in the Big Ten. The lucky thing for those who love MSU is that Hollis does, too. Otherwise, he might be at another school or in a corporate job right now. Like his football coaches, heíll have other opportunities, but Iíll be surprised if he doesnít retire at MSU.